Abstract: Fresh beef spoilage is a microecological phenomenon which involves several specific spoilage organisms and is affected by lots of factors. In order to control beef spoilage and to prolong its shelf life, it is important to understand the source and diversity of bacterial contaminants in beef. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a systematic overview of spoilage bacteria in beef from the following aspects: all possible sources of microbial contamination from slaughter to packaging, the species classification and diversity of microbial contaminants, and the mechanism of the spoilage potential of individual genera and mixed bacteria. Overall, the major contamination sources are the fur of living animals and contaminants on it, knives used for dressing and workers’ hands and all contact surfaces during cutting procedure, and the main spoilage bacteria are Pseudomonas spp., Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria and Brochothrix thermosphacta. Different species of spoilage bacteria produce different spoilage phenomena due to the difference in the order of metabolism of nutritional substrates. It is expected that this review will provide a powerful theoretical basis for spoilage bacterial control in fresh beef.

Key words: beef, spoilage, Pseudomonas spp., lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae